A Gambling Scene

The Indians are among the most desperate of
gamblers.

They not infrequently play themselves out of everything they
possess, leaving the game nearly, or quite, naked.

Chief Edensaw told me of an Indian who, having lost his money,
canoe, blankets, and all his clothing, gambling at the sea otter
hunters' camp on the west coast, then plunged naked into the forest,
and succeeded in reaching a village on Virago Sound, the only one,
so far as known, who ever crossed that portion of the island. A game
of this character was in progress at Gold Harbor. There were no
police to interfere or missionaries to discourage, and the players
sat down in two rows, facing each other, on the beach, with boards
in front. No cards or gambling sticks were used, only the tooth of a
whale. This was taken by the challenging party and passed rapidly
from one hand to the other, his movements being accompanied by loud
singing, the beating of sticks on the boards, violent gesticulations
and contortions, in which all joined, the betting being simply in
which hand the tooth remained at the close of the manipulations. I
reached this interesting scene just as an Indian was taking off his
shoes to wager on the game, which he soon threw on to a pile of
clothing in the centre of the group, containing coats, vests,
pantaloons, suspenders, shirts, etc. A big, one-eyed fellow was fast
stripping the party when I left, and if his luck continued, would
soon have reduced the Gold Harbor natives to their original state.

Official Report of the Exploration of the Queen
Charlotte Islands for the Government Of British Columbia, 1884